I am a plastic surgeon in Little Rock, AR. I used to "suture for a living", I continue "to live to sew". These days most of my sewing is piecing quilts. I love the patterns and interplay of the fabric color. I would like to explore writing about medical/surgical topics as well as sewing/quilting topics. I will do my best to make sure both are represented accurately as I share with both colleagues and the general public.

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

I think I learned my lesson this time. The first two times I hosted Grand Rounds many of the posts seemed to come from happy bloggers. I think the lesson this time is don’t be a host when all the news is bad. Maybe it’s the drought and heat wave in much of the U.S. Or maybe using the words of Bill Clinton “It’s the economy, Stupid.” For whatever the reason this week’s Grand Rounds is dominated by rants and whines from bloggers around the globe. ……… To try to have some fun with emotions I decided to try to draw a sketch to give you an idea of the mood of the writer:

Dr Bates gets first position since she is hosting Grand Rounds next week. She breaks the trend too in not being upset or angry. She writes at Suture for a Living wondering How old is too old for cosmetic surgery? Her answer? ……….

An Israeli court has granted permission for family members to extract and freeze the eggs of its 17-year-old daughter, who died earlier this month in a car accident, according to the Israeli English-language website Haaretz. ……..

"Ethically, the important issue is not whether the woman would have wanted children," said Rosamond Rhodes, director of bioethics education at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. …..

Instead, Rhodes said the critical issue is whether Chen would have wanted her biological children to come to life after she was dead. ……….

The comments are interesting, also. Personally (remember I don’t have any children, unable to get pregnant), I don’t think it would be a good idea. I lost my father when I was 8. I can’t imagine being a mother-less child.

I AM a ravenous, ungraceful eater. I have been compared to a dog and a wolf, and have not infrequently been reminded to chew. I am always the first to finish what’s on my plate, and ever since I was a child at my mother’s table, have perfected the art of stealthily helping myself to seconds before anyone else has even touched fork to frog leg. My husband and I have been known to spend our rent money on the tasting menu at Jean Georges, our savings on caviar or wagyu tartare. We plan our vacations around food — the province of China known for its chicken feet, the village in Turkey that grows the sweetest figs, the town in northwest France with the very best raclette.

So it was a jarring experience when, a few months ago, at 36 years old, I learned I had stomach cancer. ……….

It seems like some people are constantly wringing their hands about how poor people eat (to wit: badly.) And the most popularly proposed solution is to teach them (“them”) more about nutrition! Or educate them in general.……….

A menstrual cup is exactly what you think it is: a cup to catch menstrual fluid. The concept has been around since the 1930’s, but has recently become more popular. Some cups are made of rubber, but allergies to latex and other components of rubber are increasingly more common so the best option is a cup made of medical grade silicone, which is hypoallergenic………….

For those users of Propecia - used for hair loss in men, and Proscar - used for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) in men, here is a new concern raised by Health Canada, which is the Canadian version of the FDA.

Disclaimer

My purpose in writing my blog is to attempt to provide good solid medical information on topics of my choosing. It is a way to educate myself, my colleagues, and the general public. References will be provided on medical posts, but not on opinion essays or poetry posts. An additional purpose is to share my interest in quilting topics, a way to show my human side.

Any medical information provided by this site is not a replacement for medical diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice. It should not be used to treat or diagnose any medical condition. Always seek professional medical consultation by a licensed physician for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions - please, do not ignore your doctor's medical advice based on information written by the author or commenters of this site. Please do not ask me for medical advice, but instead contact a healthcare provider in your area. Anything written about office/hospital situations/events are fictional examples to get a point across. No patient is/will ever be a specific patient (unless given written permission), but a fictional one. To know more about how I handle medical information about patients please link here. Unless, I am praising a colleague, even those will be fictional. Any similarities to you or people you know is purely coincidental. My husband and I, and our dogs are fair game.

In early 2009 I joined the Better Health Network. As part of that Network, I will occasionally be paid for my writing. Those posts will be clearly noted. I will strive to maintain my high ethical standards. If I add any advertising, it will be clearly marked as such.

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I do not intend to use this blog to collect or dispense private health information on patients. If any patient is used as an explicit example for a posting, I will get that patient's consent in writing to use their story and/or photo. The office is permitted by federal privacy laws to make uses and disclosures of your health information for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations. However, that is not the intent of this blog. I intend to share information on medical/quilting topics with the general public and my colleagues. This web site does not share or sell any personal information, including your name, address, or email addresses with third parties. Have a blessed day!